The freshman and senior high school experience can vary in different ways with teachers, classes, academic rigor and the ability to do things such as driving. 82 percent of children in the United States live with at least one sibling. This leads to many different types of relationships between siblings in school with older siblings and younger siblings experiencing school differently.
“Having an older sibling benefits me because I don’t have as many first [experiences],” said sophomore Abby Kamon, younger sibling of senior Matt Kamon. “I could ask my brother what middle and high school were like because he had already been. It is so assuring to have someone to talk to that has gone through a lot of the same situations as me.”
Younger siblings can also benefit from their older siblings in other ways such as rides to school. Taking a school bus could take longer due to the bus taking other stops, so having an older sibling to drive them to school could be very beneficial and a time saver.
“I think that having an older sibling benefits me,” said freshman Ian McDowell, younger sibling of senior Keira McDowell. “She drives me to school, helps me with schoolwork and is just someone to talk to.”
Being an older sibling can also be rewarding by being able to guide younger siblings through experiences that they have already gone through. In this way, younger siblings can avoid making the same mistakes that their older siblings may have made.
“My favorite part about being an older sibling is being able to help my sister through the same challenges that I faced when I was her age,” said senior Matt Kamon “Also getting to see how she acts in situations that I had been through. Being an older sibling has taught me a lot about myself because I am able to see truly the person that I am through how I treat my little sister.”
The relationships that students build with their teachers can affect their high school experience. Some teachers can have a preconceived idea of students with older siblings before knowing them due to knowing their older sibling.
“I have had the same teachers as my older sister,” said McDowell. “I feel that it benefits me a lot in which they like me because of my sister’s good influence on the teachers, but I also feel that they will also put a higher standard on me due to my sister’s academic achievement.”
The expectations and comparisons that teachers may put onto younger siblings could affect the younger sibling if they feel like they don’t reach the level that their older sibling was on, whether academically or otherwise.
“Sometimes it can be harmful to have an older sibling because of how much I compare myself to him,” said Abby. “I overcome this by remembering our differences and that we have strengths in different areas of life.”
Both older and younger siblings affect each other throughout their high school experiences and benefit each other in different ways.
